


A Mermaid's Heart

by Aponi_Aquene



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Magic, Circus, Confinement, F/M, Fluff, Hooked Queen, HookedQueen, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, Little Mermaid Elements, Mermaids, Pirate Captain Hook | Killian Jones, Smut, The Enchanted Forest (Once Upon a Time), True Love, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-30 14:27:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21429700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aponi_Aquene/pseuds/Aponi_Aquene
Summary: Hooked Queen AU: On his journey to a distant land, Captain Killian "Hook" Jones encounters an imprisoned mermaid who goes by the name of Regina. The lost mermaid's pain begins to melt the pirate captain's cold heart and he sets out to free her from the clutches of the evil sorcerer holding her captive.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Evil Queen | Regina Mills
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	A Mermaid's Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Um... idk. I wanted to do this for a while and now I'm doing it. :) 
> 
> Basically, Just the little mermaid retelling with Hooked Queen. I used some elements from the original film, the Netflix version, and a few other sources. Some shit I straight made up because yeah... This is an au set in another realm but the EF will come into play.
> 
> I feel so bad for making Facilier like this because I really, really like him. I found him to be super cool but he fits this part better than any other character. I will make it up to him in a future story... someday. Anyway, I know exactly where this is going and I have a set course. This chapter is just an intro to the characters.
> 
> should I warn y'all about the fact that Regina eats her food raw? or are y'all cool with that?
> 
> I wanted to keep part one short and not go on too much. There aren't going to be many parts because I don't think this story requires that many but... yeah, sorry for mistakes, enjoy.

A Mermaid's Heart

Chapter One

She gazed through the glass of the fishbowl she was in. Despite its massive size, it was much too small compared to her true home, the sea. She now lived in a cramped fishbowl inside of a dimly lit tent. Sometimes it was full of life with excited spectators. Now, it appeared empty and eerie. The memories of the gasps, laughs, and cheers echoed through her mind like a ghost. This always happened. At the end of a long day, she was always left haunted by the day's events. Hundreds of strangers staring at her, pointing and shouting. Greedy, selfish, cruel humans treating her like a painting or a statue on display. All they cared about was being entertained by the 'fish girl' and her peculiar appearance. They didn't know that every night she was left in agony and suffering from her hunger or the pins and needles she constantly felt under her flesh because the water she was in was much too warm and did not have the salt that she needed so desperately to survive. She was kept this way so that she would remain weak and unable to fight back. She was sure that if she remained in this state for much longer, she would perish.

She wasn't left completely alone. There, sweeping the floor of the large space that her bowl was stored away in were seven small men. They were working away, whistling to themselves. They were nice enough to her but they couldn't do anything without the Master's permission, so sometimes they weren't allowed to feed her for days and instead had to watch her suffer. Well, she assumed it was days. Sometimes it was difficult to determine time since it had been such a long while since she had last seen the sky. She only knew that the day began when the spectators start coming and it would end when they left. After she could no longer hear the chattering, giggling and music playing outside, she knew that her day had come to an end. This cycle had gone on for about nine days... until she lost count or she had stopped caring. She was still unsure of which. Now she had no clue how long she had been a captive of the wicked Dr. Facilier.

He was a vile man with a wicked heart. He had affection only for money and power; the root of all evilness and ill intentions. If only she knew then what she knew now, she would have never made a deal with him. You would think she would have known better than to trust a human, but no Regina was foolish. Just like her mother had said.

She started swimming around the bowl she was in, back and forth almost like she was pacing. The hunger, pain, and sadness were setting in. She was unsure of how much more she could bear being separated from the sea before she succumbed to her sorrow and loneliness.

A tightening in her stomach prompted her to swim over to where the men were cleaning. One of them, who went by the name of Leroy but his friends called him _Grumpy,_ was her main carer. His little brother who they called Dopey was the closest Regina had to a friend. He couldn't speak but he would sometimes just sit with her and chase the loneliness away. She could tell that these men felt trapped and were lost souls just as she was. This is probably why they cared for her so.

She tapped on the glass softly and the men looked over at her. Dopey saw her first and smiled. Regina smiled back and waved. He waved back happily.

Grumpy dropped his broom and walked over to Regina. He peered in at her. "Are you okay?" He asked her through the glass. She nodded her head and pointed to the bucket on the floor by the bowl. If she was allowed to eat that evening, there would be fish or shrimp kept inside it. The man looked down and nodded when he understood what she wanted. He picked up the bucket and dipped his hand inside. "Oh, he got you something good today." He said and Regina could tell that it relieved him that she had food tonight.

In the few nights that Dr. Facilier had chosen not to feed her, Grumpy and his brothers had tried to feed Regina but she could not stomach human food. Even the smell of it made her ill. They shared some fresh fruit with her and that stayed on her stomach but anything else would cause her to wretch and feel weak.

He climbed up on the ladder until he was at the opening of the bowl. Regina swam to the top and waited. "Well, come over here, Princess." The man said. Regina swam closer and opened her hands. He held the bucket up and turned it over. The contents spilled out into her hands. An octopus. She was quite excited to see that. It was one of her favorite foods. She made a happy little squeak and swam to the bottom of the bowl and sat on a far end.

The man smiled at her and climbed down the ladder. He put his hand to the bowl and peered in. "We have to go now, Regina," he said sadly.

She looked up from where she was tearing a tentacle from her meal. She bit into it and watched the man with a frown. She had become quite feral during her days of captivity. She had stopped speaking, singing, creating and went into total survival mode. She lived like a beast in a cage now. All that made her civilized had been taken from her so she behaved the way she felt.

Because of this, she did not verbalize her plea with the man for him not to leave her alone but instead; she looked him in the eye. Grumpy exhaled and bowed his head. "If we could sleep in here with you, you know we would." Said the man. "We don't want you to be alone either."

Regina sighed and let her shoulders slump. At least she had food tonight. Who knew what tomorrow would bring.

"Maybe we can see about changing that water tomorrow?" The man offered. Regina's face lit up, and she nodded. Oh, she needed that. Clean water sounded amazing. He returned the nod. "I'll see what the Master says."

Regina nodded again. Dr. Facilier couldn't care less about her living conditions or well-being. She was a financial asset. Nothing more. As long as she continued to make him money, that would be his only concern.

"We gotta keep you healthy, sister. Wouldn't want to lose you." He added solemnly. Regina looked into his eyes then looked back down. She just wanted to go home to the ocean. She just wanted to be free. "Hey, Dopey, come here and say goodnight to Regina."

Regina looked excited then and got up. She swam to the glass and peered out. Dopey walked closer to her and smiled. She smiled back. He always made her smile in this cold dark world. She placed her hand on the glass and the man did the same. He dipped his head. After a moment, Grumpy tapped him on the shoulder.

"Okay, it's time for her to sleep." He said. "Us too. We have work tomorrow."

Dopey lowered his head and gave Regina a sad smile. She waved at him and then he waved back. He then turned to leave. Regina watched him with a frown. The other men turned down the lanterns in the tent, but Grumpy left two candles burning by Regina's tank. He looked at her.

"So you won't have to sleep in the dark," he told her.

Regina is from the ocean. Her entire life is darkness. She preferred her darkness to the darkness of this land. This darkness was scary and cruel. It frightened her and set her on edge. She nodded though. Grumpy then turned to leave, following his brothers out of the tent. With one last look over his shoulder at Regina, he was gone.

Regina was all alone again. She sighed and sat back down and finished her meal. She was wiping the ink from her mouth when she had an unwanted visitor. She felt the malevolence surrounding her, and she immediately sat up straight but she didn't move.

"People are coming from near and far to get a look at the pretty little mermaid." A chilling voice drifted out from the shadows. "You are famous! Your future is as bright as the moon above."

Regina glared at the man as he emerged from the darkness. She wished that she knew a way to get away from him, but her only defense was her song and it didn't work on him. He possessed powerful yet dark magic that made him immune. She couldn't use her song to protect herself. A mermaid's song held much power. The song had been known to drive humans into madness and it often resulted in death. Regina had never used her song. She had never needed to until now.

"Mermaid," said the man. "Be proud and thank me."

Regina looked away from him and stared at the seats behind him. During the day, they were full of spectators all wanting to catch a glimpse of the fish girl.

Facilier tipped his hat to her. "Very well, Mermaid. You will thank me someday for all that I've done for you." He shrugged. "Or you won't but you'll still owe me."

With that, he swept out of the tent and vanished back into the shadows. The candles blew out behind him, leaving Regina in the darkness. She sank back into the bottom of the bowl and covered her face with her hands.

There she wondered how she had befallen such a fate...

* * *

_The next afternoon..._

The Captain watched his men filing off the ship. They were in town to restock on supplies, to do some sightseeing, and to socialize a bit. His men scattered in different directions. Some headed to the tavern and others disappeared into a brothel. Captain Hook was in the mood for neither. Instead, he decided to stroll the streets of this new land. This town was different than the villages that he had seen on his journeys. They wore such strange clothing. He thought it was fascinating, and he admired the women in their elegant gowns and complicated hairstyles. A few looked at him and whispered to each other. He would merely smirk and stroll past them.

His first mate, Smee, had been following him as he usually did. The man was like a lost puppy minus the cute factor. Hook didn't mind his company, however, especially when he wasn't yammering. This was not one of those times, though. The man was huffing and puffing, complaining about walking the entire time. Hook had been doing his best to ignore him but it wasn't until they were standing in a bookshop and Hook was trying to read a map of this land and the man complained again, that he addressed the issue.

"Why don't you go join the other men in the tavern, Mr. Smee?" He offered as politely as he could. He was a pirate after all so manners, he did not have much of. "There you can rest your feet and fill your belly."

The man in the red tattered hat looked embarrassed for a moment. "You are the Captain. Someone should be around to keep an eye on you in case something happens."

Hook laughed, then he patted the man on the shoulder. "Mr. Smee, I am perfectly fine. What shall they do? Beat me with their fancy hats and waistcoats?"

Smee still looked unsure. "Sir."

They both knew that Hook was more than capable of handling himself, but he appreciated Smee's loyalty. "Smee, go. I will be fine. I shall meet you all at the tavern tonight."

That promise seemed to make the man feel better because he nodded with a smile. "Okay, Captain." He said with a little salute. "I will see you in a little while."

Hook dipped his head. "Okay, Mr. Smee. Off you go."

Smee smiled and practically ran out the door with a speed that Hook had not even known he possessed. The Captain hung around the shop a bit longer before wandering out onto the street. He journeyed further into his explorations, observing a bit more to sate his curiosity. He found this world to be odd yet bold, but he enjoyed it. He found his way to a park and decided to see what was inside. He discovered that it was somewhat like the Enchanted Forest, except smaller. There were trees, bushes, grass, and flowers all about but there were cobbles on the ground making a path. People were strolling along it. He walked past them in a hurry to see what was at the end of the path.

Some stared at his pirate garb, clearly not used to seeing a man dressed that way walking about so freely in this part of town. They usually stay by the docks where the taverns and whorehouses are. Killian had been a pirate for three hundred years. He had been sailing the seas longer than that. He had seen enough whorehouses and taverns to last him another three hundred years. He desired a different adventure. One other than women and alcohol.

He walked further down the path until he came to a large clearing. There, he could see people congregated. There were tents of various sizes covered in purple, black and red stripes. Booths and carts were scattered all around as well. Intrigued, he ventured inside. He located a cart that was selling something he had seen before and found that he quite enjoyed: popcorn. He purchased himself one and continued to explore.

There were animals dressed in odd clothing walking around. Then again, animals in clothing was strange in itself. Horses dressed in headdresses and vests, elephants in headdresses, monkeys in full outfits. He observed a moment longer then shook his head and moved on.

He came to a larger tent. There was a line, so he got on it. After watching others doing the same before him, he paid a little man dressed in colorful makeup and clothing, a few pieces of gold and was granted entry to the tent. The place was crowded, but he found himself a seat in the far back. More little men were walking through the aisles selling popcorn. Having finished his, he purchased another.

At the sound of a drum roll, the men retreated, and the crowd fell silent. Hook turned his attention to the middle of the tent. A light was shined upon it, directly in the middle. A cloud of red smoke appeared. Hook tensed because he recognized that. It was magic and after what magic had done to him centuries ago; he did not trust it and it set him on edge. When the smoke cleared, a man stood there wearing a sinister grin and his dark eyes matched. He was in a red overcoat with a long tail and black lapels. His top hat matched but was black with a red stripe across it and a purple feather on the top. Underneath his coat was a purple vest that somehow worked with the outfit and black pants that led down to alligator skin shoes on his feet. He looked to be quite the character but there was unsettling darkness about him. He was more than what he appeared. Hook had dealt with many like him in his very long lifetime. He found that if it resembled a snake, then it was a snake.

"Welcome!" The man said extending his arms to the audience. "I am Dr. Facilier, Magician and Master of Voodoo." When he said that, glitter shot from his hands and landed on the audience. The people erupted into cheers, but Hook was not impressed. The man continued, "I am also the Ringmaster of this circus and I have an affinity for procuring odd and rare things. Things that would make you question reality. Things that you have been told do not exist but really do!"

The crowd 'oohed' and 'aahed' but the pirate remained silent, still unimpressed. He came from the Enchanted Forest and had spent an abundance of time in Neverland. He had seen things that push reality every day. He doubted that this Doctor could show him anything he hadn't seen before.

"So, sit back and relax or not because you all will be on the edge of your seats soon..." Dr. Facilier continued. "The Facilier World of Wonders is going to begin." With a flare of his hand, he stepped aside and seven small men ran out, whistling and dancing. "The seven dwarves." Announced the Ringmaster. "These creatures hail from the Enchanted Forest, a magical land. They work in mines; collecting fairy dust. Yes, fairies are real. We shall get to that in a moment..." he waved a hand. "These dwarves are hatched from eggs and there are no known females. They live their lives in eight to a home and work all day. These seven ran off after the loss of their brother and then found themselves to me. I took them in and made them stars. No more mining for them!"

The children giggled and waved at the men while the adults observed curiously. Hook had seen dwarves before so once again he was unimpressed. The dwarves all ran to the back of the tent and disappeared through a flap but one reemerged. He was holding a little cage and inside was a fluttering little pink light. It only took Hook a moment to realize that it was a fairy. He had seen fairies before, but how did this man capture one? They possess some of the most powerful magic.

"This is Nova!" The man announced. "Wave hello, Nova. If you are nice to her, perhaps she will grant you a wish."

The little pink fairy merely covered her face and cried. The audience 'oohed' some more. A little girl even cried that she wanted one. Hook was disgusted by this. What utter disrespect. The man handed the cage back to the dwarf then sent him on his way.

"And this is only the beginning." Dr. Facilier announced. "I had traveled the Enchanted Forest, in search of magnificent things and I was not disappointed and neither shall you be."

He stepped aside and after that, a giant walked out into the ring and under the spotlight. The RingMaster introduced him as Anton. He appeared to be bound by magical shackles. Since regular chains cannot hold a giant of his size. He too wore a miserable look on his face. He was walked out of the ring and then a white unicorn was presented. This creature looked frightened as well as the goblins, baby dragon, werewolf, and others that followed. The crowd of people from this realm didn't seem the slightest bit alarmed by any of this and it disturbed him greatly. They were so cruel and this was coming from a pirate.

"And now, what you've all been waiting for," Facilier announced. "I found her out in the sea alone and lost. I helped her and took her in. Now, she is our brightest star," he flung his arm out. "I present to you, The Little Mermaid!"

The dwarves wheeled a large clear fishbowl out into the middle of the ring. The people in attendance gasped and got to their feet. The light was low surrounding the bowl causing the young mermaid inside to glow a soft purple. Her tail itself was a beautiful iridescent black that sparkled, reflecting her glow. It matched her rich, beautiful dark hair that came down her shoulders and stopped at her waist, covering her breasts along the way. Her skin was a gorgeous olive color. Hook stood so that he could get a better look at the young mermaid as well. She was looking around frantically, appearing to be pleading for help. She pressed her hands to the glass; her webbed fingers presented to them.

"She is beautiful!" Shouted a man.

"Indeed!" another agreed.

Killian agreed with them. Mermaids were known for their beauty. It was perhaps their greatest weapon along with their song. He would admire her beauty, but this girl was clearly a prisoner. It was apparent by the way she continued to scan the crowd, clearly searching for someone who would help her. Eventually, her chocolate brown eyes met his dark blue ones. She took in his clothing and she must have recognized him as a pirate because something shifted in her eyes and he saw something else in her obsidian gaze... hope. She must have recognized him from her home. He froze and stared back at her, unable to break their gaze. He had seen many mermaids in Neverland. That's where they originated from, but there are a few in other places like the Enchanted Forest. They're usually vile and destructive, but this one... there was something different about her. She appeared calm and gentle. He needed to know her story.

Their trance was broken when the dwarves started to wheel her away and back through the little slit in the tent. He watched her go until she disappeared from sight. He wanted to go after her. He stood there, staring, unable to think of anything but the mermaid and her beautiful eyes.

He didn't hear anything else Facilier had said until the man announced, "I hope to see you all again very soon." He then bowed and tipped his hat to the crowd. They applauded, but Hook did not. Dr. Facilier gave the crowd a sinister smile then vanished in a plume of red smoke. The crowd gasped then clapped even more. After that, everyone started leaving. Hook was left alone in the tent, staring at the place where the young mermaid once was. He couldn't help but wonder where they had taken her and if she was okay.

"Hey, pirate." A grumpy voice said. "It's time to go. Show's over."

He looked over but saw no one so he looked down. Three of the dwarves were staring up at him with stern expressions. Hook nodded then walked out of the tent since he didn't want any trouble and he wanted to see that little mermaid again. He stepped out into the day but something was drawing him back to the tent. He looked back with longing to catch another glimpse of the beautiful woman with the haunting eyes. Knowing that he wouldn't be welcome, he sighed and forced himself to head back to the docks.

**Author's Note:**

> I really dig this pairing and wanted to give it a shot. I feel like I can pull it off.
> 
> and yes, Regina is in a giant fishbowl to emphasize the term 'fish girl'. I almost had her in a tank but I was like Nah. Then I thought a bathtub, then I was like Nah. So bowl it is. Either way, she won't be in it very long.
> 
> ALSO, I should point out that Regina is not "weak" in this in any way, shape or form. No, she does not need to be rescued and yes, she is capable of saving herself but it's okay to accept a little help. :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading.


End file.
